I have been remiss in catching up on my weekly comic book purchases – I’ll never get back to being up to date if I don’t start doing at least two of this a week (as well as all the films I saw in the cinema). So, let’s do this.

The Boys #34
Underneath a great cover from Darick Robertson, this issue of The Boys doesn’t have the usual impact of a Garth Ennis comic. This is the conclusion of the latest arc, where the Boys take care of Stormfront (with the aid of Vas, the Russian), in typical gruesome fashion, and The Female wakes up from her coma. The only interesting line in the whole book was Butcher’s ‘I s’pose we could always tell him who we are’ to Mother’s Milk, hinting at backstory, but that’s it. Even Carlos Ezquerra’s art seems lacklustre. This is not a good issue of The Boys.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #28
The name of Jane Espenson on a Buffy television episode was usually a good sign (having written or co-written over twenty episodes); however, that is not the case when it comes to the comic books. This issue demonstrates intimate knowledge of the Buffy universe, but it doesn’t display the flair of the series or the capacity to entertain as a comic. Apart from the reveal of Xander kissing Dawn (and the identity of the cat), there isn’t anything of particular interest in this book. Also, Georges Jeanty seems to be losing his touch with the likeness of the characters. This is not a good issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8.

Incognito #6
This is a good issue of Incognito, which has been a very good comic book. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are a great team, and this has been a fun pulp noir meets superheroes story. We learn the origin of our protagonist, Zack Overkill, and we see a lot of violence and death (but drawn well by Phillips). The story leaves open the possibility of more adventures in this universe, and I’ve got no problem with that. I’ve really enjoyed this, as a palate cleansing burst of ‘lighter’ material after the excellent but downbeat Criminal, so the guys can feel free to alternate between the two for as long as they want.